The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine is scheduled to meet with various stakeholders from the Food Vision Beef and Sheep Group early next week to identify potential measures that could be implemented to meet the government’s emissions targets for agriculture.
The Food Vision Beef and Sheep Group delivered its controversial final report to Minister Charlie McConalogue last week, which identified nine direct measures which could “reduce greenhouse gas emissions”.
The minister has acknowledged that not all of the stakeholders who participated in the Food Vision Beef and Sheep Group “support” some of the measures, particularly those that involve suckler cow exit and reduction schemes.
The government has set out a target of a 25% reduction in emissions by the end of 2030 from the agriculture sector.
The minister told Agriland that he believes it is important that “all stakeholders look at the challenges” together.
“The job now is to identify the different measures that we want to implement and then we have to work to properly support those measures to be realised,” he said.
But getting consensus from the various farm organisations who took part in the Food Vision Beef and Sheep Group on the measures is not likely. Several have significantly distanced themselves from the report and one, the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) has withdrawn from the process entirely.
Sinn Fein TD for Cavan-Monaghan, Matt Carthy TD, asked Minister McConalogue in the Dáil yesterday (Thursday, December 9) if he intended to “introduce measures that will result in the destocking of suckler cows, as recommended by the Food Vision Beef and Sheep group”.
Suckler sector
In response the minister said that he wanted to be “informed by the sectors and farmer representatives in particular” on how the agricultural emissions target could be met.
Minister McConalogue told the Dáil:
“I received the Food Vision Dairy Group report approximately three weeks ago and I received the Food Vision Beef and Sheep Group report last week. I am reflecting on and considering it.
“It is a submission to me and not all the measures in it have the support of everyone, in particular the issue relating to the suckler herd.
“Whether there will be a voluntary scheme is something that does not have support from any of the farm organisations or, indeed, from the meat factories or processors. I will reflect on all of that and on the suite of options.”
Deputy Carthy described the suckler image as “the brand of Ireland” but that it was the only “sector to see a scheme introduced aimed at reduction through the ill-fated beef exceptional aid measure, BEAM (Beef Exceptional Aid Measure) scheme”.
Minister McConalogue told Deputy Carthy that the “suckler sector must remain the anchor of our beef sector”.
“It is massively important and will continue to be fully supported by me,” he added.
The minister also said he would not be “cherry-picking different options or proposals ” from either the Food Vision Beef and Sheep Group or the Dairy Food Vision Group “in advance of making a final decision on all of them”.